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| Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science (ETH Zurich) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science (ETH Zurich) |
| Native name | Institut für Atmosphäre und Klima |
| Established | 2014 (merger roots to 1910s) |
| Type | Research institute |
| Parent | ETH Zurich |
| City | Zurich |
| Country | Switzerland |
Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science (ETH Zurich) is a research institute within ETH Zurich focusing on atmospheric dynamics, climate processes, and earth system interactions. The institute integrates observational campaigns, numerical modeling, and theoretical studies to address questions relevant to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, World Meteorological Organization, and international climate assessment efforts. Faculty and staff contribute to policy-relevant science interfacing with institutions such as the European Space Agency, Max Planck Society, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The institute traces its lineage to meteorological and geophysical chairs established at ETH Zurich in the early 20th century alongside contemporaries at University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, and Sorbonne University. Throughout the postwar period it engaged with programs led by Wegener-era scientists and collaborated with European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Met Office, and Météo-France on operational forecasting and climate research. Institutional consolidation in 2014 created the present institute by combining units from Department of Environmental Systems Science and related groups that had links to Paul Scherrer Institute, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, and international networks such as Global Climate Observing System.
Research spans atmospheric dynamics, cloud microphysics, radiative transfer, and coupled climate processes with strong ties to Coupled Model Intercomparison Project, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, and Aerosol-Cloud-Interaction studies. Teams investigate convective systems in contexts studied by Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission, planetary boundary layer processes similar to work at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and paleoclimate reconstructions in the tradition of Paleoclimatology research programs like PAGES. Studies on extreme events draw on methodologies from IPCC Special Report on Extremes and collaborate with groups at ETH Zurich Climate Center, University of Oxford, and Princeton University.
The institute contributes to undergraduate and graduate curricula in programs administered by ETH Zurich Department of Environmental Systems Science and the Swiss National Science Foundation-funded doctoral schools. Teaching topics include courses paralleling offerings at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge Department of Earth Sciences, and California Institute of Technology on numerical weather prediction, climate modeling, and atmospheric observations. Graduate students participate in exchange and joint supervision arrangements with European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, and the University of Zurich under international scholarship schemes like Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.
The institute operates instrumentation and platforms compatible with campaigns run by Global Atmosphere Watch, ICOS, and satellite missions such as Copernicus Programme and Terra (satellite). Field assets include lidar systems, cloud radars, and radiosonde launches used in studies coordinated with Swiss National Air Pollution Monitoring Network, RAMEAU Observatory, and the Jungfraujoch Research Station. Computational resources rely on high-performance computing centers comparable to Piz Daint and collaborations with European Grid Infrastructure for climate model ensemble experiments.
Collaborative networks extend to research centers including Max Planck Institute for Meteorology, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Helmholtz Association, ETH Zurich Climate Center, and policy bodies like European Commission climate initiatives. The institute is active in consortia such as CORDEX, CMIP, and participates in multi-institution projects with CERN-linked data infrastructure and partnerships with World Bank-funded resilience programs. Industrial collaborations include sensor development with firms comparable to ABB and remote-sensing projects linked to Airbus Defence and Space.
Major contributions include participation in multi-model intercomparison through Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phases, observational campaigns aligned with Campaigns of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, and development of parameterizations used in models cited by IPCC Assessment Reports. The institute led or contributed to landmark field experiments in collaboration with NOAA, ESA, and NASA aircraft campaigns, and produced influential studies on aerosol–cloud interactions referenced alongside work from Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia University. Methodological advances in data assimilation reflect techniques parallel to those employed at ECMWF and JPL.
The institute is structured into research groups and thematic units reporting within ETH Zurich governance, with leadership roles rotating among professors who have previously held positions at institutions like Max Planck Society, University of Reading, and University of Copenhagen. Its administration liaises with funding agencies including Swiss National Science Foundation, European Research Council, and bilateral programs with National Science Foundation and national ministries. The institute participates in doctoral training partnerships with ETH Board-endorsed programs and contributes expertise to advisory panels for international assessments such as those convened by IPCC and UNFCCC.
Category:ETH Zurich Category:Atmospheric science research institutes